President Cyril Ramaphosa opens inaugural Google Cloud Summit in Africa Google announced five major AI initiatives, spanning research, digital skilling, startup funding, and infrastructure
JOHANNESBURG — July 1, 2026 — Google Cloud today hosted its
inaugural Cloud Summit in Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre in
South Africa, gathering 3,000 business leaders, developers, public
sector leaders, and partners. Anchored by the central theme, “Building
for Africa with Google Cloud,” the summit builds upon Google’s 2025
launch of its Johannesburg Cloud Region. At the summit, Google Cloud
launched a number of new initiatives for Africa, including new
infrastructure, a new applied AI lab, expanded connectivity to the
continent, and other investments in the region.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the summit, stating:
“Today’s Google Cloud Summit affirms Africa’s position as a core
growth region for the global cloud ecosystem. As we step boldly into the
age of artificial intelligence, our aspiration is to anchor South Africa
as a catalyst for the continent’s digital ascendancy. By building robust
infrastructure to harness this technology, we are doing more than
modernising our economy, we are taking a quantum leap into the
future.”
At the summit, Google announced five new initiatives that build on its
existing $1 billion investment commitment [2], its recent $37 million AI
skills and research funding [3], and launch of the AI Community Center
in Accra last year to advance AI in Africa. The new initiatives fall
under the banner of Google’s “Building for Africa” mission, designed
to equip Africa’s local ecosystem for AI-driven innovation:
- Building foundational infrastructure: Today, Google announced a new
connectivity hub (“Digital Exchange Port”) located in the Eastern
Cape, South Africa. The first of four connectivity hubs [4] Google
committed to delivering to the African continent, this hub will anchor
the country as a strategic international switching point, directly
connecting the continent to Australia via the Umoja [5] subsea cable, as
well as a new subsea route to India [6], to support African internet
connectivity. This is the latest milestone in Google’s ongoing
commitment [4] to building strategic infrastructure that boosts economic
growth, strengthens resilience, and ensures reliable cloud services
across Africa. - Building Africa’s first applied AI lab: In Ghana, Google AI Futures
Fund, Google Research, and leading VC partners are launching Africa’s
first applied AI lab [7]. The Google Africa Applied AI Lab pairs African
founders with Google researchers and provides early access to Google’s
latest AI models. Based at the Accra AI Community Centre (AICC), the Lab
supports founders from across the continent in using the latest AI
research to address real-world, uniquely African challenges across work,
knowledge, creativity, entertainment, and software development – and,
in turn, helps support Africa’s first generation of AI-native unicorn
startups. Applications [8] are open now and will close on August 31,
2026.
- Building capacity through creative AI education: Google is partnering
with The Akuna Group to empower underrepresented creators in Africa.
Backed by more than $1 million (R17 million) in Google.org funding, the
program delivers AI creative education alongside advanced digital tools.
The program’s goal is to equip African creators to tell locally rooted
stories in new ways and forge professional advancement pathways. - Building the talent pipeline with a digital innovation centre: To ensure
the next generation is equipped to lead in the AI era, Google’s Economic and Community Development programme and WeThinkCode has committed to
build a R3 million digital innovation centre at the George Tabor Campus
of South West Gauteng TVET College in Soweto. Once complete, the centre
will serve as a scalable skills platform built to reach talent the
industry usually overlooks. - Building the next generation of African founders: On July 21, 2026,
Google will open applications for the 2026 South African cohort of its
Google for Startups Accelerator. The program will select 15 local
startups for an AI-focused curriculum, hands-on mentorship, and
non-dilutive, equity-free funding. This fulfills part of Google’s pledge
to back 50 African ventures between 2024 and 2028.
James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice President for Research, Labs,
Technology & Society, said, “The AI opportunity for Africa is
significant, and Google is committed to doing our part working with
Africans to help Africa realize it. Building on our past commitments,
we’re making new investments in critical areas: infrastructure,
African-led innovation, and education and skill building. From a new
Digital Exchange Port in the Eastern Cape to Africa’s first Applied AI
lab, we’re harnessing technical progress and building partnerships to
amplify and scale Africa’s incredible vibrancy, hustle, and innovation
for the world.”
Maureen Costello, Vice President for UK, Ireland, and Sub Saharan Africa
at Google Cloud, said: “African enterprises have moved decisively past
the initial phases of AI experimentation. Powered by our Johannesburg
Cloud Region, which is estimated to contribute $90.6 billion (ZAR 1.7
trillion) in additional gross economic output and support 314,900 jobs
by 2030, leading organisations like Vodacom, Discovery, [9] Pepkor [10],
Naspers are establishing the essential framework to build and deploy
autonomous agents that solve uniquely African challenges in real-world
environments.”
These new initiatives build on Google’s ongoing work across the
continent. Recent efforts have included partnerships to co-develop AI
tools for early hunger forecasting and crop resilience to guide farmers;
funding to support AI-driven startups; and digital skilling through
Google Career Certificate scholarships for students in high-learning
institutions.
